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It is always worth while to consult the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The best translations of the Qur'an into English are those by E. H. Palmer (2 vols., Oxford;
1880) and J. M. Rodwell (London; 1871). The first more perfectly represents the spirit and tone, and
the second more exactly the letter. The commentary added by Sale to his version and his introduction
are still useful.
The Thousand and One Nights should be read in its entirety in Arabic or in a translation
by every student of Islam. English translation by Lane (incomplete but accurate and with very
valuable commentary); Burton (last edition almost complete; 12 vols., London: 1894). Payne's
translation is complete, as is also Burton's privately printed edition; but, while exceedingly
readable, Payne hardly represents the tone of the original. There is an almost complete and very
cheap German version by Henning published by Reclam, Leipzig); Mardrus' French version is inaccurate
and free to such an extent as to make it useless. Galland's version is a work of genius; but it
belongs to French and not to Arabic literature.
R. P. A. Dozy: Essai sur l'histoire de l'islamisme. Leyden, 1879. A readable introduction.
A. MÜLLER: Der Islam in Morgen-und-Abendland. 2 vols. Berlin, 1885, 1887. The best general
history of Islam.
STANLEY LANE-POOLE: The Mohammedan Dynasties; chronological and genealogical tables with
historical introductions. Westminster, 1894. An indispensable book for any student of Muslim
history.
C. BROCKELMANN : Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur. 2 vols, Weimar, 1898, 1899.
Indispensable for names, dates, and books, but not a history in any true sense.
T. B. HUGHES: A Dictionary of Islam. London, 1896. Very full of information, but to be used
with caution. Based on Persian sources largely.
E. W. LANE: An Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. First edition,
London, 1836; third, 1842. Many others. Indispensable.
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